Parachute container and the application of the container to a parachute

ABSTRACT

Automatically opened parachute container for a parachute having an automatic opening strap. The container has two lateral closing flaps whose longitudinal edge portions overlap and have intergripping properties for maintaining the container closed. A panel carrying the opening strap in the coiled condition is disposed in the upper part of the container in such position as to be covered and protected by the flaps in the closed container. The hooking end of the opening strap extends out of the closed container by way of an aperture in the container.

United States Patent Pravaz 1 Nov. 21, 1972 [54] PARACHUTE CONTAINER AND THE 3,359,567 12/1967 Zemme et a1 ..24/204 APPLICATION OF THE CONTAINER 3,464,094 9/ 1969 Mates ..24/204 To A PARACHPTE FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [72] Invenmr' Mme Pram Chchy France 1,224,895 6/1960 France ..244/148 [73] Assignee: Etudes et Fabrications Aeronau- 1,051,322 1/ 1954 France ..244/148 I tiques, Paris, France Primary Examiner-George E. A. Halvosa [22] Flled' 1970 Assistant ExaminerCarl A. Rutledge [21] Appl. No.: 98,805 Attorney-John Lezdey [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT M a r ch 27 1970 France 7011238 Automatically opened parachute container for a parachute having an automatic opening strap. The [52] U S Cl 44/148 container has two lateral closing flaps whose longitu- [5] 117/60 dinal edge portions overlap and have intergripping [58] Fie'ld "244/148 2 149 properties for maintaining the container closed, A

"""""" 24/2011 panel carrying the opening strap in the coiled condition is disposed inthe upper part of the container in such position as to be covered and protected by the [56] References cued flaps in the closed container. The hooking end of the UNITED STATES PATENTS opening strap extends out of the closed container by 2 537 15 1,195 0 244/148 way of an aperture in the container.

ran 2,998,950 9/1961 Fritz et al. ....244/l48 6 Clairns, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED NB m2 3,703,268

SHEET 1 OF 2 FIG.2

FIG.1

PARACIIUTE CONTAINER AND THE APPLICATION OF THE CONTAINER TO A PARACHUTE The present invention relates to packs for parachutes having an automatic opening, namely to containers or sacks for these parachutes in which no manual intervention is necessary to open the parachute, the latter being automatically opened by an automatic opening strap hooked by means of a snap-hook to a fixed point on the aircraft and furthermore connected either directly to the top of the canopy or to a container having a canopy, depending on the manner in which this canopy is folded.

Heretofore, the automatic opening strap has always been coiled outside the container either on the upper part of the container or on the back thereof so that the coiling can be readily inspected. However, the coils of the strap outside the container are unprotected and are liable to be hooked by their loops in the course of the various movements of the parachutist, which may dangerously disturb the coiling without the parachutist becoming immediately aware of this.

The object of the present invention is to provide a parachute container of the automatic opening type which is improved by simple means so as to remedy the aforementioned drawback.

The invention provides a parachute container comprising a panel for coiling the opening strap, said panel being provided with keepers or other means for coiling the strap and disposed in the upper part of the container in such position that, after coiling the strap, the panel and the coils are covered and protected by flaps of the container which are arranged for this purpose.

Another object of the invention is to provide an assembly comprising the combination of the container and the parachute canopy folded in the container and the automatic opening strap which is coiled on the panel and covered by flaps of the container and has its hooking end portion extending out of the container through notches in said flaps.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assembly of a parachute container according to the invention in the position corresponding to an opened container, the folded canopy being shown in the container and the automatic parachute opening strap being shown before it is coiled;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, the automatic opening strap being shown partly coiled;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1, the automatic opening strap being completely coiled and the container being in process of being closed, and

FIG. 4 shows the completely closed parachute container ready for the jump of the parachutist.

In the illustrated embodiment, the invention is applied to a container 1 integral with a harness 2. On its rear or back side, the container has two longitudinal closing flaps 3 and 4 which are superimposed on longitudinal edge portions in their closed position substantially in the longitudinal median plane of the container.

The flaps 3 and 4 are capable of being interconnected in the vicinity of their edge portions by the combination of two connecting means or gripping bands, namely an outer band 5 ofknown type having hooking elements and attached by stitching to the edge portion of the flap 3, and an inner band 6 of the type having loop elements fixed to the edge portion of the flap 4.

The closure of the container is completed in the upper part by an upper transverse band 7 having gripping hooks adapted to cooperate with bands 8 and 9 having small loop elements and provided respectively along the upper edge portions of the inner faces of the flaps 3 and 4.

Note that on the longitudinal edge portions and in the vicinity of their highermost points, the flaps 3 and 4 each have a notch which is roughly semi-circular 10 or 11 and suitably reinforced by an edging. These notches are adapted to form, by their overlapping in the closing position (FIG. 4), an opening for the passage of the end of the automatic opening strap 12.

The strap 12 terminates at one end in the known manner in a snap-hook 13 (FIG. 4) or the like for hooking the strap end to a fixed point on the aircraft, the other end of the strap being connected to the top of the canopy 14 of the parachute or to a canopy container.

To permit the coiling of the strap 12 inside the container there is provided in the upper part of the latter, immediately below the gripping band 7, a relatively rigid flap 15 constituting a coiling panel.

This panel is provided (see in particular FIG. 1) with two strips 16 which are disposed transversely of the panel 15, that is, extend from the top to the bottom when the panel is folded onto the canopy and the container is disposed vertically. Each strip 16 has transverse stitchings 17 which form keepers for the passage of elastically yieldable members which have an annular shape in the free state. When the elastically yieldable members have been deformed by bringing diametrally opposed portions thereof together, they can be slipped under the corresponding keeper of the strip 6 so as to form at the ends on each side of the strip 16 coiling loops 18.

The container is employed in the following manner:

When folding, at the moment of placing the parachute in the container and after having placed the container having a canopy or the canopy 14in the back container 1 (depending on the type of the folding employed), there merely remains to coil the automatic opening strap 12 on the panel 15 by employing each of the loops 18 formed by the ends of the elastically yieldable members engaged under the keepers 16.

The panel 15 with the strap 12 suitably coiled thereon is then folded over onto the upper part of the container and then the half-flaps 3 and 4 are folded over into their closing position, care being taken to allow the end of the strap 12 to extend out of the compartment by way of the opening defined by the two notches l0 and 11 in their juxtaposed position. The flaps are held together and to the band 7 by the gripping of the hooking elements and the small loop elements of the bands 5, 6, 7, 9.

Before jumping, a final inspection is very easy to carry out. It is sufficient to partly open the two flaps 3 and 4 to check that the strap 12 is perfectly coiled and in good condition.

the automatic opening strap 12 opens the two flaps 3 and 4 and then the strap 12 uncoils normally so as to finally open the parachute automatically.

The considerable interest of the invention will be understood merely by referring to the drawings. An automatic opening strap coiled in the conventional manner outside the container is exposed to a permanent danger of being hooked as mentioned hereinbefore, since each coil constitutes a loop. In the container according to the invention, in the closed position (FIG. 4), the strap 12 is coiled inside the container and thus shielded from any hooking. This very important result is achieved while retaining the possibility of a ready inspection of the state of the coiling by simply pulling away or ungripping the upper end of the flaps 3 and 4. A simple pressure exerted on the edge portions of these flaps is sufficient to cause them to resume their closed position.

The invention therefore affords a considerable advantage in the case of automatic parachute containers owing to the fact that the automatic opening strap of the parachute is protected throughout the handling, during the equipment, flying of the aircraft and the jumping of the parachutist, by the flaps 3 and 4 which, however, in no way prevent inspection of the state of the strap and possibly correctionof its coiling and uncoiling.

Having now described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An automatically opened parachute container for a parachutists parachute having an automatic opening strap which has an outer end portion for connection to an aircraft, said container comprising a first closing flap and a second closing flap, said flaps substantially defining a container-opening side of the container for releasing the parachute, connecting means for normally interconnecting the flaps in a parachute-containing position, the connecting means being capable of allowing the disconnection of the flaps and the flaps being capable of opening and allowing the parachute to leave the container when a pull is exerted on the opening strap when the parachutist jumps from the aircraft, and a panel for coiling the opening strap, the panel having means for releasably holding the strap in a coiled condition and being disposed in an upper part of the container on the inside of said flaps so that the panel and the coiled strap are covered and protected by the flaps in the closed condition of the container.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two flaps have edge portions and two notches in an upper part of the edge portions, the notches defining, in a position of the two flaps for closing the container, an outlet opening for'the outer end portion of the opening strap.

3. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first flap has a longitudinal edge portion and a band carried by an outer face of the edge portion and the second flap has a longitudinal edge portion and a band carried by an inner face of the edge portion of the second flap, the bands being adapted to overlap each other in positions of the first flap and second flap for closing the container and having intergripping characteristics for maintaining the container closed before use.

4. An automatically opened parachute container for a parachute having an automatic opening strap, said container comprising closing flaps and a panel for coiling the opening strap, the panel being disposed in an upper part of the container in such position that, after coiling the strap, the panel and the coiled strap are covered and protected by the flaps of the container which are adapted and arranged for this purpose, a first flap of said flaps having an upper edge portion on an inner face of the first flap and a first band on the edge portion and a second flap of said flaps having an upper edge portion on an inner face of the second flap and a second band on the edge portion of the second flap, the container further comprising a third band secured in an upper part of the container above the panel, the first and second bands being adapted and arranged to overlap the third band in positions of the first and second flaps for closing the container and said bands having intergripping characteristics whereby the flaps are maintained closed along said upper edge portions.

5. An automatically opened parachute container for a parachute having an automatic opening strap, said container comprising a first lateral closing flap having an inner longitudinally extending band and an upper inner transversely extending band, a second lateral fiap ing band, a panel for coiling and carrying the opening strap and located in an upper part of the container in such position as to be covered and protected by the two flaps in positions of the flaps for closing the container, the flaps being adapted and arranged for thus covering the panel and coiled opening strap, a band secured to the container in an upper part of the container and capable of being overlapped by said upper inner bands of the flaps in positions of the flaps for closing the container, said bands having intergripping properties whereby when the longitudinal bands overlap and the band secured to the container and the transversely extending bands overlap said bands hold the container closed before use, a notch in each flap in an upper part of the corresponding longitudinally extending band, said notches defining in an overlapping position of the longitudinally extending bands an outlet opening, said opening strap having a hooking end portion extending through said opening.

6. A parachute pack of the automatically opened type for a parachutist, comprising in combination; a container, a parachute canopy folded in the container, an automatic parachute opening strap having an inner end portion attached to the canopy and an outer end portion for attaching to an aircraft, the container comprising a first closing flap and a second closing flap, said flaps substantially defining a container-opening side of the container for releasing the parachute, connecting means for normally interconnecting the flaps in a parachute-containing position, the connecting means being capable of allowing the disconnection of the flaps and the flaps being capable of opening and allowing the parachute to leave the container when a pull is exerted on the opening strap when the parachutist jumps from the aircraft, and a panel for coiling the opening strap, the panel having means for releasably holding the strap in a coiled condition and being disposed in an upper part of the container on the inside of said flaps so that the panel and the coiled strap are covered and protected by the flaps in the closed condition of the container, and means defining an aperture in the container through which aperture the outer end portion of the strap extends. 

1. An automatically opened parachute container for a parachutist''s parachute having an automatic opening strap which has an outer end portion for connection to an aircraft, said container comprising a first closing flap and a second closing flap, said flaps substantially defining a container-opening side of the container for releasing the parachute, connecting means for normally interconnecting the flaps in a parachute-containing position, the connecting means being capable of allowing the disconnection of the flaps and the flaps being capable of opening and allowing the parachute to leave the container when a pull is exerted on the opening strap when the parachutist jumps from the aircraft, and a panel for coiling the opening strap, the panel having means for releasably holding the strap in a coiled condition and being disposed in an upper part of the container on the inside of said flaps so that the panel and the coiled strap are covered and protected by the flaps in the closed condition of the container.
 1. An automatically opened parachute container for a parachutist''s parachute having an automatic opening strap which has an outer end portion for connection to an aircraft, said container comprising a first closing flap and a second closing flap, said flaps substantially defining a container-opening side of the container for releasing the parachute, connecting means for normally interconnecting the flaps in a parachute-containing position, the connecting means being capable of allowing the disconnection of the flaps and the flaps being capable of opening and allowing the parachute to leave the container when a pull is exerted on the opening strap when the parachutist jumps from the aircraft, and a panel for coiling the opening strap, the panel having means for releasably holding the strap in a coiled condition and being disposed in an upper part of the container on the inside of said flaps so that the panel and the coiled strap are covered and protected by the flaps in the closed condition of the container.
 2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two flaps have edge portions and two notches in an upper part of the edge portions, the notches defining, in a position of the two flaps for closing the container, an outlet opening for the outer end portion of the opening strap.
 3. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first flap has a longitudinal edge portion and a band carried by an outer face of the edge portion and the second flap has a longitudinal edge portion and a band carried by an inner face of the edge portion of the second flap, the bands being adapted to overlap each other in positions of the first flap and second flap for closing the container and having intergripping characteristics for maintaining the container closed before use.
 4. An automatically opened parachute container for a parachute having an automatic opening strap, said container comprising closing flaps and a panel for coiling the opening strap, the panel being disposed in an upper part of the container in such position that, after coiling the strap, the panel and the coiled strap are covered and protected by the flaps of the container which are adapted and arranged for this purpose, a first flap of said flaps having an upper edge portion on an inner face of the first flap and a first band on the edge portion and a second flap of said flaps having an upper edge portion on an inner face of the second flap and a second band on the edge portion of the second flap, the container further comprising a third band secured in an upper part of the container above the panel, the first and second bands being adapted and arranged to overlap the third band in positions of the first and second flaps for closing the container and said bands having intergripping characteristics whereby the flaps are maintained closed along said upper edge portions.
 5. An automatically opened parachute container for a parachute having an automatic opening strap, said container comprising a first lateral closing flap having an inner longitudinally extending band and an upper inner transversely extending band, a second lateral flap having an outer longitudinally extending band capable of being overlapped by the longitudinally extending band of the first flap in positions of the flaps for closing the container and an upper inner transversely extending band, a panel for coiling and carrying the opening strap and located in an upper part of the container in such position as to be covered and protected by the two flaps in positions of the flaps for closing the container, the flaps being adapted and arranged for thus covering the panel and coiled opening strap, a band secured to the container in an upper part of the container and capable of being overlapped by said upper inner bands of the flaps in positions of the flaps for closing the container, said bands having intergripping properties whereby when the longitudinal bands overlap and the band secured to the container and the transversely extending bands overlap said bands hold the container closed before use, a notch in each flap in an upper part of the corresponding longitudinally extending band, said notches defining in an overlapping position of the longitudinally extending bands an outlet opening, said opening strap having a hooking end portion extending through said opening. 